Ancient Ancestors

Scientists have found evidence that bats
have existed for 50 million years. Some scientists believe it may
have been even longer.

When trying to understand how bats have
lived, scientists study living animals. But no one was
around 50 million years ago to study the beginnings of bat life.
Scientists use "fossils" (old bones) to try to learn about how
bats evolved.

The earliest fossils of bats that we've
found look very much like the skeletons of bats today. This tells
us that bats haven't changed much over the years.